FEEDING. 109 CHAPTEE XXVL feeding.In bee-keeping, as in many other things, it is not allhoney and sunshine. Stings and venom-bags are placedside by side with honey-bags in the bodies of theseindustrious creatures. Cold rainy seasons come some¬times; and when they do come, bees have to be fedpretty constantly. One year, weU remembered by someapiarians, the best hives, though well attended, neverrose in weight beyond 22 lb. each. They were nearstarvation-point the whole of the summer. In suchseasons the management of bees is attended with anxiety,disappointment, and loss. Part of the profits of formeryears have to be spent on sugar to keep them alive. Intwo noticeable years, bees had to be fed from AprU toAugust, when the weather changed, and became so favour¬able for honey-gathering, that strong hives rose rapidlyin weight to 70 and 80 lb. It is rather an unfortunatecircumstance for a working man to commence bee-keepingin an unfavourable season. His bees must be fed againand again; and his wife does not like to see so great awaste of sugar, and may grumble sorely about it. To putan end to such loss and dissatisfaction, he seUs his beesat a sacrifice. Such faUures we have seen with sorrow.We should be glad K any words of ours contribute in thesmaUest degree to encourage aU beginners to go forward,even K one bad season succeed another. Success iscertain to the persevering. During the last fifteen yearswe have had far more favourable seasons for honey-gathering than unfavourable ones. In our native viUagein Lanarkshire the profits of bee-keeping in 1864 were